Patrick Cowan

The leader of weird was at it again. UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan, still hobbling from a torn ligament in his right knee, had to talk to the media last week. Journalism 101 questions about whether he would be fit enough to play against California this Saturday would certainly be asked. Cowan made a leadership decision, bringing along three reserve linemen to consult with before he answered each question. "Pat is just the leader of weird," wide receiver Brandon Breazell said, smiling.

A trip down memory lane with UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft, who will face Stanford in Palo Alto on Saturday: The last time Craft started a road game, he produced big -- for Arizona State. Interception returns of 38, 45, 100 yards by the Sun Devils were the longest scoring plays Craft "created" during the 2008 season. The last time Craft faced Stanford, he took the Bruins on an 89-yard drive in the last two minutes, finishing with a game-winning touchdown pass. That's the Craft UCLA hopes it is getting on Saturday.

UCLA junior Joe Cowan will never be known as a speed receiver, but he was fast enough in high school to rank among the best in California in the 300-meter hurdles. It's this type of deceptiveness that has made Cowan such a valuable piece in the Bruins' high-scoring offense this season. After not catching a pass in UCLA's season-opening win at San Diego State, Cowan has become a go-to receiver in the clutch for quarterback Drew Olson.

Kevin Craft went from a New Kid On The Block to Vanilla Ice in a matter of months. Recruited to be the Bruins' third-string quarterback, Craft is now in charge after injuries thrust him into the starting job. His stature in the locker room has similarly risen. "We tease him a little bit, call him Vanilla Ice sometimes," senior wide receiver Marcus Everett said. "He will start to groove a little bit when the music comes on." Said kicker Jimmy Rotstein: "His salsa is great.

If UCLA had played a game Saturday, Ben Olson would have started at quarterback because Patrick Cowan is sidelined indefinitely after suffering a concussion in the victory over USC. "He still hasn't been cleared," Coach Karl Dorrell said about Cowan, who did not join his teammates in their first practice since upsetting the Trojans. "He's doing MRIs and all that stuff to try and see what the issues are. But we did get one of the doctor's comments that the MRI came back negative on one test.

UCLA left tackle Micah Kia appears to be moving toward starting against Tennessee on Monday night, less than two weeks after breaking his left hand. Kia, one of two Bruins' linemen with game experience, went through a second day of workouts, using a smaller cast on the hand that allowed it more freedom. "If the coaches need me, I'm ready," Kia said. "It feels good." Kia's cast had restricted the use of his fingers. It was cut to cover only the lower part of his hand. "I can use my hand blocking," Kia said.

Patrick Cowan didn't play tackle football until his freshman year at Bellflower St. John Bosco. He wasn't the starting quarterback there until he was a senior. He contemplated scholarship offers from schools such as Idaho and Sacramento State. Yet Saturday, in a crucial Pacific 10 Conference game against Oregon, Cowan will start at quarterback for UCLA. Patrick isn't even the most highly recruited Cowan on the Bruins' roster.

UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan will miss "several" weeks after suffering a partially torn hamstring in his left leg late in Monday's practice. Cowan underwent an MRI Tuesday afternoon, which revealed the tear. "I'm not bummed, I'm sunburned," joked Cowan, a junior who started eight games after Ben Olson was injured last season. "I need a bucket hat out at practice. "It just makes me think how fast you need to be running to tear a muscle. So I guess I was running pretty fast on the play."

Patrick Cowan is expected to return to full practice next week, with the junior quarterback hoping he'll be ready for UCLA's Pacific 10 Conference game against second-ranked California on Oct. 20 at the Rose Bowl. It would be only the second game for Cowan this season. And that will happen only if he can make it through his second full week of practice. Cowan has participated in only a week's worth of practice since August, when he sustained a torn hamstring during training camp.

UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan began only his second week of practice since August on Tuesday, with Bruins hopes seemingly on his shoulders. Cowan missed three games because of a torn hamstring and the last two because of a torn ligament in his right knee. He said Tuesday that he felt healthy enough to play when the Bruins play 10th-ranked California on Saturday. "He has to convince himself, and he has to convince me, he's ready," Coach Karl Dorrell said.

UCLA left tackle Micah Kia appears to be moving toward starting against Tennessee on Monday night, less than two weeks after breaking his left hand. Kia, one of two Bruins' linemen with game experience, went through a second day of workouts, using a smaller cast on the hand that allowed it more freedom. "If the coaches need me, I'm ready," Kia said. "It feels good." Kia's cast had restricted the use of his fingers. It was cut to cover only the lower part of his hand. "I can use my hand blocking," Kia said.

UCLA's offensive coordinator leaned back in his chair. On Norm Chow's desk were two laptops. On the wall, a flat-screen television held the frozen image of Tennessee's defense. Small scraps of paper were scattered, each with the diagram of a play. But the man with an obsessive eye for detail was perplexed. "You want to talk about me?" he said. "You can do that in two minutes." Maybe, but what a two-minute drill. 2:00 . . . 1:59 . . . 1:58 . . . Chow was on vacation with his family in Europe this summer when, stepping out of the Sistine Chapel, he discovered he was the second-most recognizable person in Vatican City that day. A tourist shouted "It's Norm Chow!"

The quarterback competition at UCLA appears to have come to an end, with Patrick Cowan winning the job. Coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow have not committed to a decision publicly, but sources within the program said they have decided to go with Cowan over Ben Olson and Kevin Craft. That was supported by the fact that Cowan took all the snaps with the No. 1 offensive unit during the Bruins' first scrimmage Saturday.

Thoughts of UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan roaming free, getting yards by the chunks on busted plays, were probably still on the minds of USC defensive players. Cowan sprinting as quickly as he could to the sideline for safety in the first quarter, or sliding feet-first, unchallenged, to the turf in the third quarter had to be sights for sore eyes for the Trojans in a 24-7 victory Saturday. A year ago, Cowan didn't do much, but did enough, when the Bruins upset the second-ranked Trojans, 13-9.

UCLA will go with the quarterback who has beaten USC, though whether he is the one who finishes the game against the Trojans is to be seen. Patrick Cowan, who ran the offense last season in a 13-9 victory over the Trojans, will start Saturday, Coach Karl Dorrell said Thursday. But Dorrell did not rule out using Ben Olson in a game the Bruins probably have to win to save Dorrell's job. "Ben I think is going to be up and ready to play," Dorrell said.

A day after sitting out practice to rest, quarterback Patrick Cowan took part in drills Thursday during Bruins practice and Coach Karl Dorrell said he has no doubt about his availability for Saturday's game at Washington State. Cowan shared snaps with backups McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Chris Forcier and Osaar Rasshan, but Cowan was clearly the No. 1 quarterback. "He feels good," Dorrell said of Cowan. "We wanted to be cautious and not give him too much, but he's doing well."

A day after sitting out practice to rest, quarterback Patrick Cowan took part in drills Thursday during Bruins practice and Coach Karl Dorrell said he has no doubt about his availability for Saturday's game at Washington State. Cowan shared snaps with backups McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Chris Forcier and Osaar Rasshan, but Cowan was clearly the No. 1 quarterback. "He feels good," Dorrell said of Cowan. "We wanted to be cautious and not give him too much, but he's doing well."

UCLA's quarterback situation seemed precarious Wednesday, though Coach Karl Dorrell said all was well. Still, starter Patrick Cowan did not take a snap and hobbled around the practice field. He spent his time playing de facto quarterback coach, consoling walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson and freshman Chris Forcier. "We're trying to get some other quarterbacks ready to play just in case," Dorrell said. "I did not want Pat to practice today. I wanted to give him some rest. He could have practiced.

UCLA's quarterback situation seemed precarious Wednesday, though Coach Karl Dorrell said all was well. Still, starter Patrick Cowan did not take a snap and hobbled around the practice field. He spent his time playing de facto quarterback coach, consoling walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson and freshman Chris Forcier. "We're trying to get some other quarterbacks ready to play just in case," Dorrell said. "I did not want Pat to practice today. I wanted to give him some rest. He could have practiced.

UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan began only his second week of practice since August on Tuesday, with Bruins hopes seemingly on his shoulders. Cowan missed three games because of a torn hamstring and the last two because of a torn ligament in his right knee. He said Tuesday that he felt healthy enough to play when the Bruins play 10th-ranked California on Saturday. "He has to convince himself, and he has to convince me, he's ready," Coach Karl Dorrell said.